Canadian mining company, Ivanhoe Mines has successfully completed the debottlenecking program at its ultra-high-grade Kipushi Zinc Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), delivering the project both ahead of schedule and under budget.
The engineering work—initiated in September 2024—boosted concentrator throughput by 20%, raising capacity from 800,000 to 960,000 tonnes of ore per annum. Construction concluded in early August following a second, final shutdown to commission new equipment.
At the same time, upgrades to the dense media separation (DMS) circuit were completed, increasing its availability from around 70 percent to 96 percent, leading to concentrator recoveries exceeding 90 percent.
According to the firm’s Executive Co-Chair Robert Friedland and President and Chief Executive Officer Marna Cloete, the improved efficiency has unlocked a series of production milestones.
In just seven days after the August shutdown, Kipushi produced 5,545 tonnes of zinc in concentrate—an annualized equivalent of roughly 290,000 tonnes—potentially ranking it as the world’s fourth-largest zinc operation if sustained.
In mid-August, the concentrator achieved a record 1,052 tonnes of zinc in concentrate over 24 hours—equivalent to a staggering 340,000 tonnes per year.
In addition to these impressive outputs, the project team continued its stellar safety record—with zero lost-time injuries recorded throughout both the concentrator’s initial construction (September 2022 to June 2024) and the debottlenecking work.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway to install an additional six megawatts of backup generator capacity, slated for commissioning in Q4, to support operations during grid instability.
Despite these enhancements, Ivanhoe has maintained its 2025 zinc production guidance for Kipushi at 180,000 to 240,000 tonnes, anticipating that production rates will rise significantly through year-end.
Off-take arrangements are also being expanded. In July 2025, Ivanhoe signed a three-year agreement with Mercuria for up to one-third of Kipushi’s high-grade zinc concentrate production.
As part of the deal, Mercuria also extended a US $20 million loan facility to Kipushi Corporation at SOFR + 6% interest. This complements existing arrangements covering the remaining two-thirds of concentrate with CITIC Metal and Trafigura Asia Trading, secured earlier in July 2024.
